Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sharp ringing of metal against metal filled the air, scattering tiny sparks with each clash.
"I didn't expect your perception to be this sharp as well," Kurenai-sensei remarked as she parried Haruma's strikes.
"It's only because you've given me the chance, Kurenai-sensei," Haruma answered honestly.
After only a brief exchange of blows, Haruma had already seen through Kurenai's ability. This woman, no matter how skilled, was not his opponent. Even without activating his Sharingan, Haruma's sharp eyes had already identified multiple openings in her defense. That alone was enough proof, Kurenai was neither adept at close-quarters combat nor at taijutsu. Her entire strength lay in genjutsu.
But that strength was precisely what Haruma's three-tomoe Sharingan countered most directly. Had he unleashed his full power, he could have defeated her swiftly, perhaps even fatally.
Haruma could also discern her ceiling. This woman would never advance to the rank of elite jonin. For an elite jonin, mastery across ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu or absolute supremacy in at least one field, was the bare minimum. Specialists in a single domain, when confronted by a versatile powerhouse or someone with a natural counter, became little more than fodder.
That was exactly why, when Kurenai faced Itachi Uchiha, her most refined illusions had been shattered in an instant.
Having already evaluated her strength, Haruma shifted gears, playing along with her "test."
After a few more blocked slashes and thrusts of his kunai, Haruma suddenly lept up into the air, and after weaving his hands in different signs said,
"Water Release: Water Jet Wave!"
He descended upon Kurenai, fingers held upright in the final seal, before unleashing from his mouth a torrent of water, cascading like a miniature waterfall, rushing to engulf Kurenai.
But Kurenai did not dodge with Shunshin. Instead, she crouched down, and in an instant, her mature figure dissolved into a spray of petals. The flood of water passed harmlessly through.
The next moment, Haruma found himself unable to move.
Without realizing when, his body was now bound tightly against the trunk of a massive tree. From the petals, Kurenai reappeared, smiling serenely.
"Well then," she said softly, "can you break free from my genjutsu?"
"Easily." The confidence in Haruma's reply was palpable.
Then her crimson eyes widened further.
Pop!
A balloon-like sound burst, and the Haruma trapped in her Demonic Illusion: Tree Bind Death dissolved into a puff of white smoke.
"A shadow clone… and it could even perform a Water Release of that magnitude!?" Kurenai gasped, truly shaken for the first time.
But her astonishment did not end there.
"Gentle Fist…"
The soft murmur of a child's voice brushed against her ears. Her body stiffened involuntarily, an instinctive warning that her real body had been locked onto by a threat.
She turned, half-expecting the timid form of Hinata. What met her gaze instead was a pair of scarlet eyes.
"Not good!"
Kurenai's expression shifted in alarm.
A powerful surge of Yin chakra erupted at point-blank range, bypassing her senses and flooding directly into her brain.
"Genjutsu: Fox's Heart Trap!"
Performed with Haruma's full seriousness, even Kurenai had no means to avoid being drawn into the labyrinth of his illusion. Though she broke free quickly from the C-rank genjutsu, by then it was already too late, Haruma, Shino, and Hinata were standing before her, each holding one of the bells.
"…Excellent teamwork. I've lost," Kurenai admitted, her rich experience immediately piecing together their strategy.
Perception was not infallible. It, like genjutsu, was only another use of Yin chakra. If the opponent's Yin chakra was sufficiently potent, their illusions could deceive even a sensory ninja.
Unless, of course, the sensory ninja possessed eyes such as the three-tomoe Sharingan, the pinnacle of genjutsu both in wielding and resisting it, or the Byakugan, another nightmare for illusionists.
Hinata's presence had tipped the scales. While Haruma's clone used ninjutsu to distract her, Haruma's true body had transformed into an inconspicuous stone, perfectly concealed. With Hinata's Byakugan, they could easily discern which Kurenai was the true body and which merely an illusion.
At the precise moment, Hinata's strike and Haruma's illusion fell in unison. In that instant of disarray, Shino's kikaichu slipped forth, deftly claiming the bell from Kurenai's waist.
This was Haruma's strategy.
The truth was, he could have claimed all three bells himself. Even without his Sharingan, his mastery of Shunshin made him too quick for Kurenai, whose weakness in taijutsu left her wide open. And she had clearly been holding back, always using her true body to apply her illusions.
Had Haruma chosen to, there were countless ways for him to succeed. But he did not.
Because this survival exercise was not about strength, it was about teamwork and cooperation.
Thus, Haruma deliberately restrained himself, played his role, and delivered the "lesson" Kurenai wished for.
And the result satisfied her greatly.
Though the illusions he cast were only of D and C rank, the sheer density and potency of his Yin chakra had surprised Kurenai beyond words. Low-level illusions had ensnared her so easily. If Haruma grew into advanced genjutsu, who among his generation could possibly contend with him?
Her thoughts strayed briefly to the looming Chunin Exams. An idea, bold and almost reckless, began to stir within her.
But Haruma remained unaware of her musings. He simply shook his head and said, "The only reason we managed to take the bells was because you weren't serious, sensei."
"A loss is a loss," Kurenai replied warmly. "And I'm hardly the type to shy away from it."
The humility in his words deepened her fondness for this student who neither boasted nor belittled others. With a smile, she added, "As a reward, let me take you all out for barbecue."
And so, Kurenai led the members of Team 8 to Konoha's most famous grill house, marking their first official meal together as a squad.
By the time they finished, their survival test had ended far quicker than most. They never even crossed paths with Asuma Sarutobi and Team 10.
After today, the days of being students were over. From here on, they would step into the demanding, unpredictable lives of shinobi, protectors of their village.